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Hazzardous Universe (2000)

by Julie Wright(Favorite Author)

3.69 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Covenant Communications

series

Hazzardous Universe

review 1: Author Julie Wright has ventured into the relms of Middle Grade science fiction with her new novel, Hazzardous Universe. In her story, 14 year old Hap Hazzard (loved the name), and a neighbor girl, Tara, are abducted by aliens by mistake. Hap's grandfather has always talked about aliens in the past but everyone, including Hap had never believed him--until now. Hap and Tara are whisked away from earth on a pizza-slice shaped space ship.(Fun concept for kids). They encounter a host of imaginative creatures and characters as their captors smuggle an all-powerful crystal away from earth. Hap steps in to try and thwart the crystal from falling into the wrong hands, but ends up facilitating the proccess instead. As a person who writes MG books, and often reads and enjoys them, I... more found this particular book read a lot younger than the actual age of the protaganist. First, the story question felt weak and very juvenile to me, (the thing that the protaganist wants more than anything). Hap, more than anything, wants to get home to his family. This felt weakened even further when at the end of the book, Hap too easily tosses this desire to the background and decides to venture off into the unknown universe with his accidental captors. Second, I found the tension in the story weak and often contrived. But with an intended audience of young children, I'm sure this was by the author's design. Though Harry Potter was written for children, (and read by a lot of adults like me), some parents found numerous scenes too intense for young children. This was obviously avoided in Hazzardous Universe. It reads squeeky clean and harmless.So my dissapointment with the book stems from the adult reader in me. It was like being served Campbell's chicken noodle soup when you had anticipated Zuppa's lobster bisque. But I've got to remember the audience: children. And children, for the most part, would prefer Campbell's chicken noodle soup over lobster bisque any day.In conclusion, I would easily recommend Hazzardous Universe to young readers (10-13), especially if they are fans of science fiction. But to those adult readers out there who want realistic action and riviting suspense, I suggest you stay in the adult literature section to make your choice.
review 2: This is like an old-fashioned sci fi adventure, something that would have been a movie in the 1950's. The aliens are varied and disgusting: giant bugs, pixie-like creatures with Jekyll & Hyde mood swings, you know what I'm talking about! There are ray guns, and visits to alien worlds, and fabulous palaces filled with strange sights and lots of silken pillows . . . which, let's face it, is what Edgar Rice Burroughs and Co. used to write about all the time! I loved this book (which I was lucky enough to read in manuscript form)! I loved the adventure, and the characters, and the blending of old school sci fi with Hindu mythology. This is a book that boy and girls are both going to love, and so will adults! less

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